Steve Gisselbrecht of The Noise Boston writes, "He's got a huge voice, and he uses it really well. Genuine talent." Nationally renowned acoustic rock artist Melissa Ferrick simply states, "F---ing great. F---ing awesome music." Influenced by artists such as the Beatles, the Beautiful South, Elvis Costello, and Liz Phair, The Francis Kim Band's music can be described as a less Gen-Y John Mayer, a less neurotic Magnetic Fields -- intelligent without being pretentious, irreverent without being juvenile, heartfelt without being melodramatic. Chicago songwriter Zach Phillips writes, "Francis's songwriting remains consistently strong, sometimes edgy, and always clever."
Since 2001, the Francis Kim Band has performed in their hometown of Boston and across the US at venues such as the Bitter End, Club Passim, the Somerville Theater, and the Middle East as well as campuses including Harvard, MIT, Rutgers, Oberlin, and Northwestern.
Bio
THE BAND
Steve Gisselbrecht of The Noise Boston writes, "He's got a huge voice, and he uses it really well. Genuine talent." Nationally renowned acoustic rock artist Melissa Ferrick simply states, "F---ing great. F---ing awesome music." Influenced by artists such as the Beatles, the Beautiful South, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and Liz Phair, The Francis Kim Band's music can be described as a less Gen-Y John Mayer, a less neurotic Magnetic Fields. Their songs have a strong, striking sense of melody, ranging from the simple to the dissonant. Their lyrics are intelligent without being pretentious, irreverent without being juvenile, heartfelt without being melodramatic.
November of 2003 marked the release of The Orange Concern, the band's debut CD. Chicago songwriter Zach Phillips writes, "Francis's songwriting remains consistently strong, sometimes edgy, and always clever." Written over a span of nine years, the album touches on a wide range, from starstruck crushes to the pitfalls of law school to crooked politicians. Musically, the album is one melodic hook after another.
The Francis Kim Band has performed across the Midwest and Northeast at venues such as the Bitter End, Club Passim, the Somerville Theater, and the Middle East. They have been invited to play at Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, Oberlin, and Northwestern, among other college campuses. They have shared bills with a host of renowned artists and bands, including Kevin So (Wingbone Records), Jenny Choi and the Third Shift (Double Zero Records), Rachel Loy (Epic Records), Annie Lin, Keren Ann, and Jason Myles Goss. They were featured in the fourth Asian American Songwriter Showcase Tour, the Asians In Rock Tour (AIR), and the 2003 Insurgent Voices Concert. The band was the recent subject of a full-length article in the Chosun Daily, Korea's largest newspaper.
THE LINEUP
Guitar, Vocals - Francis began his musical career at the age of four, with Suzuki books in one hand and a quarter-size violin lodged under his chin. At twelve years old, a schoolmate played him a copy of Abbey Road for the first time. He traded four strings for six, formed a band, and has been making beautiful music ever since.
Francis grew up in the Camry-ridden world of suburban Chicago. As a high school student, he performed in Canvas, an original rock band. He moved to Cambridge in 1995 to attend Harvard University, where he majored in applied mathematics with a field specialization in economics. After graduation, he worked as an analyst in an enterprise software firm developing pricing optimization algorithms for large retailers. Having fulfilled his childhood dream of being an expert in retail technologies, he left the company in June of 2003 to pursue a life in music.
Drums - Born and raised in Malaysia, Robin Lai came to the US in 1999 to study Music Business, Production, and Engineering at the Berklee College of Music. Robin has studied under Shawn Kelley, Larry Finn, Dave Dicenso, Dave Weigert, and Dave Cowan. He has played in a number of groups including Godam, Floodline, Forget The Girl, and the CCFC Gospel Choir. He is an active session drummer and producer.
Bass - Chris Shelton graduated from Berklee in 2000 with a degree in composition. In 2002, he received a Master's degree in Theoretical Studies from New England Conservatory. In earlier lives, Chris has played in the bands Pyrocy, Zipperhead, and Introspection, opening for Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper.
Guitar, Vocals - Ever since the age of 13 when he first saw Pete Townshend whirl his arm around like a windmill, Eugene Song has wanted to play guitar in a band. After graduating from Brown University, he came to Boston in the fall of 2002. He wrote and performed as a solo artist for a year prior to joining the Francis Kim Band in August of 2003.